What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ipswich has the most people working from home (18.9%).

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ipswich	Dudley
People
Population	13,930Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$745,400±$40kHighest 33% above MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Highest 33% above MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#101 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Ipswich High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.